Washington governor creates data center workgroup to explore economy, energy, environment impacts

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order Tuesday, creating a workgroup to evaluate how data centers affect Washington’s economy, tax revenue, energy use and environment.
The executive order directs the Washington State Department of Revenue to establish and lead the data center workgroup, which will be tasked with making policy and action recommendations related to data centers. According to a news release, the group will include representatives from the state’s Department of Commerce, the Utilities and Transportation Commission and the Department of Ecology in addition to electric utilities, environmental advocacy groups, labor organizations and industry stakeholders.
According to the news release, data centers are crucial infrastructure that support Washington’s digital economy, and they provide essential services that drive innovation and economic growth, but they also consume significant amounts of electricity in the state, which can put strain on the local power grid and can require increased energy generation, storage and transmission.
“We must ensure Washington remains a leader in technology and sustainability — these experts will help us do that,” Ferguson said in a news release. “This group will help us balance industry growth, tax revenue needs, energy constraints and sustainability.”
Through the order, Ferguson directed the the data center workgroup to submit any findings or policy recommendations by Dec. 1.